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Izakaya Mita

February 3, 2016

You might need a dictionary to dine at Izakaya Mita, but that shouldn't stop you from experiencing a unique dining experience. Izakaya Mita, owned by mother/son team Helen and Brian Mita, opened last January in Bucktown. The warm restaurant serves Japanese pub fare, as well as an extensive sake offering.

I stopped by with a friend on a Saturday night to find every table occupied (it was also Chicago Restaurant Week). We were greeted by Brian Mita who was extremely knowledgeable about sake. We tried a sake flight which he custom picked for us, as well as a few cocktails including the Kyoto 75, their take on a French 75 featuring refreshing sparkling sake, and a negroni-like concoction that certainly packed a punch. If you're afraid of committing to one type of sake, you can order a tasting portion.

Kyoto 75 and Sake Tasting

Negroni-like Cocktail

Izakaya Mita's menu is meant for sharing and is divided into sections including: cold, sashimi, warm, bincho tan (charcoal grill), sliders, hearty bites, tempura, and noodles. Yes, there's a lot to browse through! That's where server recommendations come in handy. We decided to taste a few items across the menu sections to get a good feel for what they had to offer.

Starting with the cold items, we tried the sake no tsumami, a platter of marinated octopus, marinated squid in fermented sauce, and raw octopus in wasabi marinade. OK, I'd like to think I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to food, but this was definitely out there for me. I actually enjoyed the marinated octopus with its tangy sesame flavor, but both squid preparations were far too intense in flavor for me. At least I tried it!

Sake No Tsumami

Sake No Tsumami

Izakaya Mita offers several varieties of sashimi, or you can try multiple together in their sashimi salad. This was served with generous and impeccably fresh slices of salmon, tuna, and possibly yellowtail (our server didn't tell us). The vinaigrette was fantastic too, although I'm still not sure what was in it (no one seemed to know).

Sashimi Salad

Moving along to warm plates was our favorite dish of the night, Kinoko Itame, or mushrooms sauteed in butter and a soy citrus sauce. Holy sh*t was this delicious. I mean, what's not to like? It's smothered in butter with a hint of citrus to cut away at the richness. These are a must order.

Kinoko Itame

The bincho tan portion of the menu includes your choice of meats and veggies that are cooked on skewers atop a charcoal grill. We tried the duck, and chicken meatballs, as well as shishito peppers, and onions. The standouts were the mushrooms and onions, although I was partial to the peppers which occasionally packed a spicy punch. It was like pepper roulette, you never knew when you were about to bite into a flaming hot fully-seeded shishito.

Duck

Chicken Meatballs, Shishito Peppers, Onion

The sliders portion of the menu includes five options including eel, shrimp, chicken, beef and fish served on crispy rice. Their Chicago Restaurant Week menu included a lobster version so I asked if we could try it, and they complied. The slider is really only big enough for two bites, but it had two chunks of tempura lobster on top, as well as a tasty aioli. I enjoyed the crispy rice "bun" that brought everything together.

Lobster Rice Slider

One of the most popular dishes on the menu is the okonomiyaki, found under the warm section of the menu. It's a Tokyo-style savory pancake with your choice of shrimp and crab, or pork belly. We opted for the pork belly which was thinly sliced and layered on top of the dense pancake. This dish is very heavy but also incredibly flavorful. The sauces on top are laid on there thick, as are the bonito flakes. The pickled ginger garnish helps cut away at the thick sauce and savory pancake. I enjoyed it, but only needed a small slice to feel satisfied.

Okonomiyaki

Even though there's no shortage of ramen spots in the city, somehow I rarely find myself eating ramen. That's why I decided to try their tonkotsu ramen with bamboo shoots, soft boiled egg, chasu marinated pork, negi (onion), and pickled ginger. I enjoyed the thick broth and the pork was very tender and well-seasoned. The sweet egg was perfectly cooked as well.

Tonkotsu Ramen

Despite being too full to breathe, we were told we had to try the matcha green tea cheesecake. While I love desserts, I'm usually disappointed with Japanese dessert options. Boy, was I wrong. The cheesecake perfectly balanced bitter and sweet flavors and had a nice and creamy texture. It was probably my second favorite thing we ate after the sauteed mushrooms.

Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake

If you're looking for a laid-back Japanese spot and are open to trying dishes you may not be familiar with, head to Izakaya Mita. Don't feel intimidated by the menu. There are descriptions and the staff is more than willing to help. I also recommend allowing the staff to suggest sake options and dishes for you to try. Don't forget to order the mushrooms!

Note: my meal at Izakaya Mita was complimentary; however, all opinions expressed are my own.